Jessica Simpson Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
Over the course of four albums in nearly ten years, the public at large has proven largely indifferent to Jessica Simpson the pop singer, stringing her along with a handful of charting singles but never quite giving her a big, undeniable pop hit, the kind that would justify her celebrity. Given that anemic track record, why wouldn't a good ol' Texas girl like Jessica leave the city for the country? That's exactly what Simpson and her omnipresent father/manager Joe have done with 2008's Do You Know, featuring the title track duet with Dolly Parton, the not-bad "Come on Over," and "Still Beautiful," a quietly insistent empowerment anthem. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There are basically two ways to deal with a divorce in pop music: dig deep into your soul and pour it all out on the page (à la Blood on the Tracks), or treat it as sheer liberation (à la Back in the High Life). Perhaps it's only appropriate that the dissolution of the Jessica Simpson/Nick Lachey marriage -- one of the biggest tabloid stories of the 2000s, or at least 2006 -- produced two wildly different records that nevertheless follow these blueprints to a tee. First, Nick delivered the mopey What's Left of Me, whose title pretty much gives away the game; he paints himself as the man wronged, unaware that he's coming across a bit like a simpering cuckold but clearly aware that he's placing all the blame on Jessica's shoulders, and even if she doesn't explicitly embrace that burden on her post-divorce platter, A Public Affair -- whose title also nods at the hysterical gossip surrounding their separation -- its devil-may-care vibe suggests that everything that's been said about her is indeed true. At the very least, she's put her marriage far, far behind her -- according to the liner notes, some sister-bonding with Ashlee, where they cried and listened to Patty Griffin, did the trick (if only they were watching Kathy Griffin instead!) -- and is out to have nothing but a good time. And that's what A Public Affair is: a party record, pure and simple. A full eight songs are finished by the time Jessica switches the tempo down a notch or two, and even then it's only for a few songs; of the 13 songs here, ten are designed either for the dancefloor or carefree sunny afternoons. Of those three slower songs, there are a few allusions to her breakup with Nick -- on "I Don't Want to Care" she sings that she doesn't want to care about him and herself, and her version of Patty Griffin's "Let Him Fly" carries a certain meeting given the context -- but they don't stick, since they're overwhelmed by the bright, gaudy retro-dance that dominates this album. In other words, it's the opposite of the turgid, moribund 2003 In This Skin, which was all mannered showbiz ballads, just like how 2001's Irresistible was the reverse of her overly calculated debut, but the difference is, A Public Affair is easily the strongest album she's ever made, powered by a couple of excellent singles in "A Public Affair" and "If You Were Mine." Respectively, they recycle Madonna's "Holiday" and Janet Jackson's "When I Think of You," but that's a good place for Jessica to be -- breezy and tuneful, sunny and cheerful, they're songs that retain their sugar buzz after they've been played a dozen times. When she tries too hard -- which she does a fair amount here: most horrendously on the stilted hip-hop of "Fired Up," which makes Britney's "Me Against the Music" seem graceful; most ridiculously on "Swing with Me," a reworking of Louis Prima's "Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing)" that just points out how good Christina Aguilera's similar big-band makeover on Back to Basics actually is; and most bizarrely on the attempted country-funk of "Push Your Tush," a disco workout built on the Ohio Players' "Who'd She Coo" but memorable for Jessica's incongruous Hee-Haw-isms, such as her opening salvo "let's get some grub!" or a tossed-off "cock-a-doodle-doo!" -- she falls flat on her face and it's pretty embarrassing to hear, but she and her producers have enough sense to keep things as light and airy as angel food cake. Since this has been an instinct that's failed Jessica and her team -- as always, headed by father and executive producer Joe Simpson -- it comes as a bit of a shock that a good portion of A Public Affair is indeed pure cheerful fun, since she's only hit that on occasion in the past. And if A Public Affair doesn't all work -- and even if her voice is suspiciously buried in the mix throughout -- it nevertheless is by far the most entertaining album she's ever done and does indeed suggest that the divorce has loosened and liberated her (of course, some might say she got a little looser and liberated toward the end of the marriage, and based on What's Left of Me, Nick Lachey would be one of them). ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Rejoyce: The Christmas Album'
Release Date 1/1/2004
Tracks 11
Label Sony
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Jessica Simpson has always seemed more comfortable in glitzy, show-biz surroundings, so it's not a surprise that her 2004 holiday release, Rejoyce: The Christmas Album, never approaches the old-fashioned manners implied in the title and instead wallows in the big, brassy, over-the-top spectacle of show biz. Rejoyce is a Christmas album that sounds like it was recorded at a Las Vegas revue. It's filled with showstoppers and grandstanding, relying on the tried-and-true seasonal classics while offering a couple of new songs almost as an afterthought. It's bright and incessantly cheerful, always seeming loud even during its quietest moments because the music itself is bold and brassy. While she sounds a little too breathy on occasion, Simpson acquits herself well on the record, and the entire enterprise will surely please her fans, particularly those who like her persona just a little bit better than her singing. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Out of all the teen pop thrushes of the late '90s/early 2000s, Jessica Simpson was perhaps the oddest. Not because she was genuinely strange -- especially compared to Christina or Pink -- but because she never seemed that comfortable with the genre. On her debut, Sweet Kisses, that awkwardness could be written off as first-time jitters, particularly because the album boasted the dynamite single "I Think I'm in Love," which is about as perfect as pop gets. On her second album, Irresistible, her awkwardness could be attributed to either the fabled sophomore slump or the fact that she was being tarted up too much, presented as a sexy tease when she's really just the sweet, curvy girl next door. Now, for her third album, In This Skin, she tones down the trashy club beats and image, staying within the contemporary dance-pop realm while inching toward the middle-of-the-road diva that she's always yearned to be. And that's the key to Simpson and her records -- apart from that brief, brilliant moment on "I Think I'm in Love," she's never seemed like she's wanted to sing pop music. She's somebody who would have been much more comfortable in an era where she could have been produced by Mitch Miller, not somebody who half-heartedly sings moderately stylish, overly calculated dance-pop. Simpson is not a bad singer, and only when she's given a show-stopping ballad in the vein of Celine Dion can she really strut her skills. The heart of In This Skin is in the mature middle of the road, while its sound is still pitched young. Simpson is still a sweet, photogenic girl with a good voice, and in her favor, as she gets further removed from her teens, she will be allowed to do more mature material -- and this CD is a tentative step in that direction. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
By the end of 1999, teen pop had grown into a strangely diverse genre of its own, with each act fulfilling a different need. Britney Spears was pure, trashy fun, while Christina Aguilera was flashy and talented just like Mariah Carey. The Backstreet Boys stood above the pack with their suave sophistication and irresistible melodic charm, while 'N Sync were the Stones to the Backstreet Boys' Beatles -- a little bit of the rough and tough, not quite as melodic, but almost as charming. Into the fray arrived Jessica Simpson -- unlike some of her peers, a mere finalist for the New Mickey Mouse Club instead of a full-fledged member -- with her debut Sweet Kisses, an album that positions her as the teen Celine Dion. Sure, she delves into the frothy dance-pop that's teen pop's stock-in-trade, but the heart of her album lies in adult contemporary ballads like her breakout hit "I Wanna Love You Forever," which gives her a chance to show off the richness of her voice. She doesn't over-sing, like Aguilera occasionally does, even if she has moments where she pushes the envelope slightly -- just like her idol Dion. However, there are already indications that she's developing her own voice, since she is equally capable of delivering danceable urban R&B ("Final Heartbreak," "I've Got My Eyes on You," the Destiny's Child duet"Woman in Me") as she is mature balladry ("Faith in Me," the Nick Lachey duet "Where You Are"). Like most teen-pop albums, Sweet Kisses suffers from inconsistent material, yet the filler is well-produced and performed, making the record every bit as listenable as Aguilera's fine debut. As a matter of fact, Simpson proves with this debut that she could very well be a teen popster that could easily make the transition to adult artist -- and that puts her in a rarified league with Aguilera and the Backstreets. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
